


The Apocalypse Song

by noodroid



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: M/M, Supernatural AU - Freeform, Veterinary Medicine, cryptid animals, this is a dark romcom fic thanks, this is self indulgent, warning: animal death mentioned with no graphic descriptions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-08-29 16:31:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16747558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noodroid/pseuds/noodroid
Summary: ☤ A MinSung Supernatural Fic☤ Some boys like cats. Some boys like dogs. Some boys like the grim reaper of animal souls.





	1. Verse One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung is a felon, probably.

  
Some days are hard. Some days, like today, are extra hard. It's how hard the job is that makes it good for Lee Minho, however. He loves to thrill of emergency veterinary work. He loves the timely beeping of all the technology, the scribbling of the pens, the movements of pulling medicines from bottles. He loves how fast paced everything is.  
  
He lives for the thrill, even though the thrill sometimes doesn't live for him.  
  
The man stands in front of his small apartment, slapping his hands into his pockets to find his keys. With an annoyed grunt, he realizes that neither his keys nor key chain are in his pockets. He grabs his phone, which he thankfully has, and dials his roommate's number.  
  
"Jeongin? Hello? Innie? Where are you?" He listens momentarily then sighs. "When do you get off? I left my keys at work, I guess. I go in tomorrow so it's fine but I'll have to wait for you to open the door. I'll be at the park. Thanks, Innie."  
  
So much for relaxing after a long day. Luckily, their apartment complex was directly next to a well lit playground. He really would've been screwed if he had to sit outside his door for the next hour and a half. No-one would have bothered him, but there was nothing more depressing than being obviously locked out of your own apartment after midnight.  
  
It takes moments for him to get to the park. With a delighted look, he realizes that with no-one around at nearly one in the morning, he could sit on the swings and have the time of the life if he wanted to. He runs over to the swing set, taking a seat on the tallest one, a child-like glimmer in his eyes.  
  
Maybe things weren't always so bad, anyway. They'd sent home four patients on his shift, two that he really didn't think would make it. He got to work with his favorite doctor that night. Hell, he'd even gotten to use the bathroom _twice_  during his shift. That was some kind of record, honestly.  
  
With a pleased grin, he lets the fact that maybe just because that night had ended terribly didn't mean it was ruined wash over him. It was Wednesday, he only had a few more days until he got off for three days starting on Sunday. He had plans with his friends. During the day!  
  
Real plans! With friends!  
  
He only feels his mood sink when he hears something rustle in the bush next to him. Minho slams his feet into the small pebbles of the playground, stopping himself on the swing. His head whips around in a panic, feeling suddenly worried.  
  
A cold breeze rushes over him, despite it being summer.  
  
"Hm? There you are," a soft voice whispers. He watches as someone pushes their way in between the hedges, chasing a dog who--  
  
"Holy shit, is that dog okay?" Minho squawks, jumping to his feet. He pulls off his jacket, readying himself to make a tourniquet and run back to work. "Holy shit, is it in shock! No don't touch it! It'll bite!" The poor dog had clearly been hit by a car, but seemed undeterred by it's massive wounds. How it wasn't crying and why this person seemed so calm didn't even worry him at this moment.  
  
Later. He'd worry about it later, he told himself.  
  
Minho's words go unheeded by the person, a man, who has shoved himself from in between the bushes. Shortish, thin build, a mess of blonde hair, a black t-shirt, black boots, and a pair of black skinny jeans with rips. An eyebrow slit? Really? Who slit their eyebrows other than idols now?  
  
"Seriously don't touch it!" Minho screams again as the man leans forward and picks up the dog. The dog, some kind of small terrier mix, just barks excitedly and squirms, licking the person's face.  
  
The man, finally seeming aware of Minho, stares at him. He frowns, turning the dog away from him protectively.  
  
"*You* don't touch him," he snaps. He glares at the other for a few seconds, then turns and walks away from Minho to back through the bushes.  
  
Minho stares. It feels like nearly an hour before he feels able to move again, dumbfounded and dumbstruck. He collects himself, running to where the man and the dog disappeared behind the bushes.  
  
No blood. No shoe marks. No paw steps. Nothing. Not even a piece of fur.  
  
What the fuck?

 

Jeongin listens patiently, dipping his tea bag into the steaming water with little interest. He nods at just the right moments, fakes a gasp, and then for-real furrows his eyebrows as he looks Minho over once he finishes his tale.  
  
"Are you sure you're just not overworked?"  
  
Minho waves his hands in the air erratically again, clenching and unclenching his fists in frustration. "No, I'm not sure! But I know what I saw! It was this little terrier mutt thing. It had definitely been hit by a car--"  
  
"Gross."  
  
"And it was _definitely_ picked up by some guy! When I yelled at him not to touch it, the guy yelled back at me! Like I was the crazy one! He picked up a dog! A strange dog! With a gaping wound!"  
  
"Again? Very much gross."  
  
"Maybe so!" Minho yells, throwing his tea bag violently into the sink. He downs his tea, Jeongin just watching with mouth agape as he doesn't even flinch at the hot water. "God, I hate tea."  
  
"Then what the fuck? Why did you drink it?"  
  
"Jeongin, I'm at that point in my life where I'll drink sewage water if it had caffeine in it."  
"Oh my _god_  you need a new job."  
  
"Maybe! So!" Minho yells again, placing his cup gently in the sink. He turns his back to the counter and jumps on it, sighing loudly as he does. "I'm serious though, Innie. I'm worried about that dude and that dog. They needed help. It was just weird."  
  
Jeongin, ever the good youngest best friend, stands. He moves closer to Minho, patting the older on the shoulder with as much affection as he could muster. "Minho, I mean this in the nicest way possible. I think you hallucinated because you've slept a total of six hours in the past four days."  
  
Minho, never the one for being corrected, scoffs. "I've done more shifts with less sleep--"  
  
"Oh my *god*, you really do need a new job."  
  
"I keep agreeing, I don't know what you're going on about," he cheekily responds. Jeongin shoves him gently and the other just grins. "You're a good room mate, Innie. I'm glad I chose you."  
  
"You literally asked to move in here with me because Changbin drove you mad. Night, Minho!"  
  
"Night, Innie! I love you," he calls. The younger turns and scrunches up his nose in disgust, shaking his head rapidly at the affection. Minho blows a kiss, which his poor, innocent roommate who has never done anything to deserve such a gross sign of affection, dodges with a gag.  
  
Maybe Jeongin was right. Maybe Minho did need a new job, though everyone outside of the industry felt that way. Maybe he did hallucinate. Though, it didn't explain why it seemed so... Real? Without being real?  
  
Sliding off the counter, Minho lets out a loud sigh. He shoves his hands into his scrub pockets, making his way to his bedroom to get ready for bed.

 

It can be a shitty job, but someone's got to do it.  
  
Sat in one of the singular isolation rooms, Minho stares down a sick dog, Yeo, who refuses to eat. With a grunt of annoyance, he opens the kennel door, holding a hand out to the dog. The dog gives him a look that reads 'Let me sleep, you annoyance. You shoved a pill down my throat half an hour ago. What more do you want from me?'  
  
The dark haired man just chuckles at the look. He pets Yeo gently, reveling as he moves his head ever so slightly to get more of the scratches in just the right places.  
  
"You gonna eat for us today, old man? Your mom keeps calling. She's all upset that you have to sit in here by yourself. Rightfully so, too! You're only eight. You shouldn't be stuck in here. You should be... I dunno, didn't she say you liked walks?"  
  
The dog, ever the truly good listener, places his head down to and closes his eyes. Minho laughs again, this time loudly. He sits himself in the kennel and begins to scoop some of the disgusting so-called "stew" out of the can with a gloved hand. Offering it to the dog, he moves his hand with the dog's face as he tries to get away from the stench of the food.  
  
When the dog makes no effort to even turn to face the man, he lets out a sigh of frustration. "C'mon, Yeo. You've gotta eat."  
  
"You're so obnoxious," a man says.  
  
Minho lets out a startled yelp. Yeo's ears perk up but other than that, the dog makes no move to acknowledge the strange male voice. The food that the poor technician had been attempting to feed his patient now lies on the floor of the room, splattered on the old cement.  
  
A strange wave of cool air hits Minho, causing his skin to burst into goose bumps. He pulls off his gloves, standing quickly and shutting the kennel door as gently as he can. Yeo just stares behind him, whining softly as though he's now realized something Minho hasn't.  
  
It makes the man shiver more. He turns slowly, staring out the window that looks into the isolation room. "Who the fu-- Holy shit! Tzuyu!"  
  
Slamming a hand into the window, a short woman stares at Minho. "What the fuck!" She yells back, shoving her face into the glass to stare intently at him. "We've been calling you for ten minutes! Why are you so creepy and hiding in here!"  
  
Minho, in a fit of toddler tantrum annoyance, opens the door and throws his balled up gloves at Tzuyu. The woman yells, jumping away.  
  
"That better not be contagious!"  
  
"You scared the fuck out of me!"  
  
"Is it contagious?!"  
  
"Who the fuck else was with you?!"  
  
"Minho, I swear to god, was that contagious?!"  
  
"No, you dipshit!"  
  
"I'm going to fire you!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
Tzuyu lets out a loud laugh. Minho stares at her wide eyed before doubling into laughter as well.  
  
"It's just Yeo in there. He's still on fluid therapy. I gave him--"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. You need to take a break. I know who's in there, he's been here for a few days now. His mom is calling the front and yelling at Jeongyeon about something. What had you asked about who else was here?"  
  
Minho pauses, frowning. He had definitely heard a man's voice. It sounded familiar. It was like he had heard the voice recently, like a song he had heard on the radio but couldn't quite recall. He debates what he wants to say for a moment, before shrugging.  
  
Perhaps telling his supervisor and lead technician that he's hallucinating voices at work wasn't the best move, after all. She'd probably chide him for not getting enough sleep again. Hell, she'd probably make him take a few days off.  
  
There's a moment of silence that passes between the two of them as they walk from the isolation area back into the treatment room. The shrill beeps of the monitors, the voices drifting from exam rooms, the noise of the phones ringing, everything was so familiar. It made Minho feel at home, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Something felt different.  
  
It felt like there was suddenly a secret in the air.  
  
"I don't think Yeo is gonna make it," Tzuyu finally says. It's almost nonchalant. Minho knows she means no harm by it. Working in the business for several years gave you a bit of a jaded outlook on what happened there. "It sucks. He's such a good dog. I used to dog sit him when we were younger."  
  
She pulls a granola bar from her nurse pack-- a glorified fanny pack, if they were being honest-- and offers it to Minho. He takes it with a sullen look.  
  
"It does. I guess we'll have to see, huh?"  
  
"He'll be fine. I'm not here for him."  
  
Minho starts, visibly. He throws the granola bar in the general direction of the man's voice that he's heard _again_. The bar hits one of the, luckily, empty kennels with a clank, startling a few of the patients and the other technicians. Tzuyu lets out a small yell of a surprise as well, staring at the man with a dumbfounded expression.  
  
"Uh, Min?"  
  
He feels his face burning red with embarrassment. "I-- Sorry. I thought I-- Uh, I'm sorry." Moving to grab the granola bar, he looks up and sees the same black boots he saw a few weeks ago. He looks up and watches as a blonde man disappears around the corner.  
  
"Who the fu--"  
  
"Minho!" Tzuyu's harsh voice snaps him back to reality. He whips around, realizing the short woman is now standing in front of him. "Office. Now," she hisses, shoving him out of the treatment area and in the direction of her office.  
  
Well, _shit_.

 

"I swear to god, Innie. I'm going insane."  
  
Jeongin offers a soft pat on Minho's shoulder. His lips purse to form a straight line, eyebrows coming together in an expression of concern. "I genuinely think you are, Minho."  
  
Minho throws himself back onto the couch. He drapes an arm over his face, sighing loudly and heavily. "I don't get it. She gave me ten days off for medical leave. She even got Taeyeon to agree to five of those days be paid. Tzuyu is some kind of monster." The last part is mumbled, the frustrated man pulling a pillow over his face.  
  
"Minho," Jeongin starts, carefully. "I really think you need this. You've been going in even on your days off and working twelve hour shifts. I know you need the money but--"  
  
"But nothing. We're understaffed. There's only four technicians. The rest are assistants and they can't monitor surgery. Taeyeon doesn't even trust the two new hires yet--"  
  
"Yeah and that's Taeyeon's problem," Jeongin snaps.  
  
The anxiety begins to build in Minho's stomach again. He sits up, shoving himself sluggishly off of the couch. Suddenly, everything feels exhausting. All the patients he'd been taking care of, what was going to happen with them? There was--  
  
"Dude, go to bed, please."  
  
Minho complies as Jeongin pushes him towards his room. He stares at his bedroom door for a moment before turning around to face his roommate. The other just shakes his head, opening the door for him.  
  
"Just go to bed."  
  
It's with a lot of effort that Minho ends up in his bed. Face washed, teeth brushed, clothes changed. He turns onto his side, checking his phone one last time, when he hears it.  
  
"You stink like death."  
  
The almost familiar chill comes back. He feels the goosebumps rise on his skin. The hair on the nape of his neck stands on end. His bed dips as someone sits down.  
  
Minho wants to shriek but finds himself unable to do anything other than stare at the blonde man that's sat on the edge of his bed, leaning back as though it's totally normal for a god damn stranger to be in here at this ungodly hour.  
  
"Who the fuck are you!"  
  
"What a cool introduction. I'm Han Jisung. You can call me Jisung."  
  
"Great, I don't care, what are you doing in my room?"  
  
"You asked who I was! What did you expect me to answer with?"  
  
Jisung turns to look at Minho and that's when he feels it. He feels his heart pick up, his skin feeling numb. A lump appears in his throat, the poor man feeling himself shrinking back into his bed.  
  
"What-- Why are you-- Who--"  
  
"I told you. I'm Jisung. I'm... Really?" he interrupts himself. He watches Minho and scans his face with an uncomfortable amount of scrutiny. "You never noticed me before? I've been watching you for a while."  
  
Barely able to get anything above a squeak out, Minho lets out a pathetic, "What?" He stares with big eyes at the strange man who has made himself at home in his bed. "What?" he asks again, voice still nothing but a squeak.  
  
Jisung lets out a soft laugh. "I'm a grim reaper."  
  
"Holy shit it's finally happened. I've worked myself to death. I'm dying. I'm hallucinating from stress and I'm dying. Goodbye, cruel world, I fucking _guess_."  
  
Amusement spreads over Jisung's face. He lets out a loud, boisterous, open mouthed laugh, doubling over slightly. His eyes crinkle into half moons and Minho can't help but think that as long as he's dying, at least his grim reaper is good looking.  
  
"No, no. Not for humans. I take animal souls from this world to the next. Lee Minho, I'm here to ask for a favor!"  
  
And just like that, Minho's head begins to spin. He stares at this strange blonde man who has made himself in his bed, in his room and suddenly his world turns into a haze of grey then starry.  
  
The next thing Minho knows, he's seeing white, hearing a high pitched noise, and a soft squeak of panic from the grim reaper named Han Jisung as he falls unconscious.


	2. Bridge One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung is a stupid name for a dog.

When Minho was young, just barely a teenager, he got his first cat. He found her on the streets of Seoul hiding behind a large trash bin on his way home from school with friends. She had hissed at him, scratched up his arm, and tried ferociously to bite him. She was skin and bones but obviously pregnant.  
  
Minho knew he couldn't leave the queen there. She was obviously scared and hurting. He pulled off his school jacket, managing to throw it over her, scooping her up in the bundle. His friends made fun of him for years to come but in his heart, he knew what he did was right.  
  
When he walked into the house with a bundled up cat screeching, his mother was furious. His father, however, was amused. He agreed to bring the cat to the veterinarian.  
  
It was there that Minho met a woman named Kim. To calm him down when he learned that the kittens weren't going to make it because the momma was so sick, she told him about what it was like to take care of the animals. As a starry eyed teenage boy who had no clue what he wanted to do with his life, this moment was integral to his development.  
  
Minho named the cat Momo. She was a pretty calico who hated everyone but him. She would craw into his bed at night, paws pressing into his face, purring as she kneaded his cheeks. Momo would follow him around the house, too. She would sit by the door when he snuck out at night. She would stick her paw under the bathroom door to get his attention when he showered.  
  
There was something extra special about her. Minho loved her so much.  
  
He remembers when he lost her. He was a fresh nineteen, working at the same emergency clinic he works at now. His mom showed up in tears, holding her. He doesn't like to think about it. Momo had gotten out the house and been attacked by some neighborhood dog.  
  
Taeyeon had hugged him when he started crying. Tzuyu had just started working with him, still a receptionist. She left her post, much to the chagrin of her supervisor, to sit outside the room with him. He kept Momo's ashes in a small urn in his room next to his favorite picture of them and her collar with the small bell attached. All he remembers is that when he said goodbye, there was a static buzzing in his head.  
  
He's still scared to hear static to this day.

 

It's with a start that Minho wakes up. His forehead is covered with a sheen of sweat and he feels hot. His head is pounding, his body is still exhausted, and most of all, he feels an overwhelming sense of anxiety. It feels like something is staring at him.  
  
With a scream, he realizes that something is and that something is an absolutely fucking huge dog. Minho, a true man of action, reaches out and smacks the absolutely fucking huge dog directly in the snout. The dog jumps back with a yelp, obviously startled.  
  
It's at that moment that Minho realizes two things: One, he is a god damn idiot because the dog only seemed huge since it was standing directly next to his bed; Two, wait. No. That was it. He's just a god damn idiot. Granted, it still was bigger than any dog Minho had ever seen, but that was another argument for another time.  
  
"Jeo- Oh my god, get off me!" Minho shrieks as he's cut off. The dog bounds back into his bed, pressing it's front paws into his chest and whining. "Jeongin! Jeongin!"  
  
Very suddenly and abruptly, there's no longer a dog on his chest. Instead, the mysterious man named Han jisung that decided to break into his house is sitting next to him, slapping a hand over his mouth.  
  
"Shut up!" he hisses, forcing Minho back onto the pillow. "He's not here! Your roommate left for work!"  
  
Weakly, Minho asks, "What?" He's suddenly feeling light headed again. His skin burns, his head hurts, and worst of all, this breaking-into-houses- _felon_  is laying over him and he is far, far more handsome than he should think he is.  
  
"He left for work. Do you listen when people are talking?"  
  
"How long was I asleep for." It comes out more as a statement than a question. Minho throws an arm over his head and pushes with no force against Jisung's shoulder to make him move. "Why the fuck were you a dog. What's going on. Why is this happening to me."  
  
The bed dips as Jisung gets out of it. Minho can hear him moving around his room but has no intention to stop him. It's not until he hears the tell-tale tinkle of a bell that he says anything.  
  
"Don't touch that," he snaps. "Put it down right now."  
  
Jisung obeys, turning to look at him with raised eyebrows. "Why? It's not like--"  
  
"Don't touch Momo's stuff. Tell me what's going on."  
  
"It's nice that you kept these. She loved you a lot, you know. She refused to come with me for months."  
  
There's a silence that takes over the room. Minho's head begins to swim with fuzz. Something nasty and painful collects in his throat. He feels tears sting at his eyes, so he squeezes them shut as hard as he can.  
  
"Can you shut up?"  
  
Jisung looks over at him, startled. His brows knit together and he frowns. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."  
  
"What are you doing here, Jisung?"  
The darker haired man takes a deep breath. He sits up in the bed to stare Jisung down. This strange man, this weirdo, this apparent grim reaper shows up in his house, unannounced, asking for favors. Something felt off. It felt weird. It felt, for a lack of a better joke to make in light of the fact that he's a veterinary technician, _fishy_.  
  
Or paw-f. Something felt paw-f. Like off, except-- You know what? Never mind.  
  
"Repeating myself so much is really annoying," Jisung sighs. He pulls the chair from under Minho's desk and sits in it, crossing one leg over the other and crossing his arms over his chest. He watches the man in the bed now and waits. When he gets no sarcastic answer, he almost feels guilty.  
  
"I told you. I need your help."  
  
Minho looks Jisung over. The big cheeks made him look innocent but there was something in his eyes that said otherwise. They looked too dark, as if all of the light was being sucked into them.  
  
"With what?" he asks. Minho keeps a carefully blank look on his face as he stares at the other.  
  
"What, no question about why you?"  
  
"Doubted you'd tell me."  
  
"Fair, but also, not fun. I need your help with something."  
  
Minho lets out a loud groan of annoyance. "Can you jus--"  
  
"Fine. Look, Lee Minho. I know a lot about you. I've been watching you for a long time. I was there to take away Momo the day you found her. She was supposed to die that day but you saved her. None of us expected this random teenage boy with his group of loud, obnoxious friends to save a mean stray. Since then, I've been watching you."  
  
At this, Minho furrows his brow. "Why wouldn't I have saved her? I wasn't going to let her die."  
  
"You weren't, but everyone else *was*. That's why I'm choosing you, Minho."  
  
With a dramatic flourish of his right hand, Jisung pulls a small crystal out of thin air. If this had been any other situation, such as a child's birthday party, Minho would have considered himself somewhat impressed.  
  
"This is a Tibetan quartz," the reaper explains. It was a pretty stone, a black color with shards of crystal sticking out of it. "It should in no way look like this."  
  
Oh.  
  
 _Well, still. It at least looked pretty_ , Minho thought.  
  
"These are the crystals that harness positive energy to give protection. As a reaper, I do more than just help animal souls cross the borders. I also have a duty to protect this area. One way I do that is by keeping this crystal safe.  
  
"Tibetan quartz is supposed to be a turbid white color," he continues. "However, one night a few years back, I was helping bring some wildlife to the other side. There was this... *Thing* there, though. It wasn't an animal or a soul. It was some kind of mix of the two."  
  
Jisung shifts, staring at the crystal in his hands. His features are dark. He looks worried. "It ended up attacking me and the souls. I managed to get them over but this thing nearly killed me. When it did, something happened to this crystal. This crystal that's supposed to keep my whole area safe, Minho, got a crack in it. Since then, it's started to turn black and develop these growths."  
  
With a simple flick of the wrist, the crystal disappears from Jisung's hand. Minho watches with rapt attention now, despite not really understanding. His big, brown eyes meet Jisung's dark ones for a moment.  
  
He was desperate to know whether this strange man was lying.  
  
"Look, I get it," Jisung mumbles, running a hand through his hair. "Some guy shows up, suddenly tells you that he's a grim rea--"  
  
"Wait. Wait, Jisung. If you usher animals to the-- I-- Oh."  
  
A dawning realization covers Minho's face. His body feels light again, like he's  _there_ but also three centimeters to the left. He looks down at his hands, suddenly feeling tears prickle in his eyes. "Work. Work, Jisung," he mumbles.  
  
The blonde gives him a sympathetic look. "I'm there a lot, yeah. That's how I know I can trust you, though!"  
  
There's the sound of movement to Minho's right. He feels the bed dip and feels hands shove themselves against his cheeks. His face is brought up to stare into Jisung's eyes and the blonde grins brightly at him. There's something excited written on his face that Minho desperately wants to touch.  
  
But figuratively, because he wasn't like, gonna hit on a grim reaper.  
  
"You're always kind to them. Almost everyone is, but there's something about you. You always treat them with such respect. When I ask, they say they can see the light in you."  
  
For the first time in a long time, Minho feels pride. His chest bubbles with excitement and his skin warms up in a good way. He shakes Jisung's hands off his cheeks, smiling for the first time since he met him.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Yeah. Everyone has a light in them. Animals can tell when you're a good person. They really can! And there's just something about you. That's why we chose you."  
  
"W-wait. We?"  
  
Jisung hums, nodding excitedly. "We have a council, of course. We're not just allowed to willy nilly go about picking up souls. We have rules and laws."  
  
"You never really told me what it is you need help with, though."  
  
"I need your help finding out what that thing that's breaking my crystal is. Unfortunately, we don't know what's going to happen when it breaks. We don't even know when or if it really will. All we know and all I know is that we have to figure out what and where that thing is and how to get rid of it."  
  
Minho nods slowly. He feels a strange mix of excitement and fear welling up in the pit of his stomach. It's like the first time he was the first one to react to an emergency at work. It's like the first time he had discharged a patient after spending so long bringing it back from the brink.  
  
He didn't know why, but he felt ready. After all, he lived for the challenge.

 

"Minho, I thought I asked you to at least warn me when you're going to be bringing animals home?" Jeongin grunts as the large dog in the living room bounds over to him, sniffing him excitedly. The dog nudges his hand with his snout, clearly begging for attention.  
  
"Ah, hold on! I haven't even gotten my shoes off, you thing. What is this? What's going on? You weren't even supposed to be at work today!"  
  
The dog backs up, tail wagging slowly against the carpet of the living room as he sits. He pants and stares at Jeongin, watching as he takes off his shoes, hangs up his coat, and then drops into a crouch to motion the dog over.  
  
"He's cute though."  
  
Minho, standing in the kitchen, watches with vague amusement. He wasn't exactly sure what he expected when Jisung told him he was going to stay with him. He had argued that there's not another bedroom and Jeongin wouldn't appreciate the couch being taken up, but Jisung had told him not to worry.  
  
Really, though, it was awfully worrying to have what Minho had determined to be some kind of Irish Wolfhound mix taking up residence in their apartment.  
  
"I wasn't," Minho finally says around a spoonful of yogurt. "I went to the convenience store. He followed me home. He kept scratching at the door like an asshole."  
  
"Aww, don't call him an asshole!" Jeongin giggles, scratching the dog under his chin while cooing softly. "Did you call animal control?"  
  
"Dude, nobody here has dogs this big. I think he's some kind of stray. He's massive, after all. The people at the convenience store thought he was a wolf."  
  
Jeongin snorts, shrugging. "Is he?"  
  
"Of course not. Wolves aren't-- Have you never been to a damn zoo before, kid? Sheesh!"  
  
Minho tosses the empty yogurt cup and his spoon into the sink. It hits the metal with a clatter and the dog lets out a loud, startled bark. He turns around quickly, growling in the direction of the kitchen, taking a protective stance over Jeongin.  
  
"Shut up, Jisung! It was me! If you bark, we'll get caught!" Minho scolds. He stares the dog down, rewarded with a soft whine and the dog turning his attention back to Jeongin.  
  
"Jisung? That's a dumb name. That's a human name, Min."  
  
It clicks in Minho's head, very suddenly, that he suddenly has the chance to absolutely annoy the home intruder by giving him a different name. He clicks his tongue in excitement, looking thoughtful.  
  
"Ah, you know, you're right. I don't know why I thought Jisung. It was the cashier's name so maybe that's why. What should we name him?"  
  
"Are we really gonna keep him? How do we know he's not a menace? That he isn't dangerous? Is he house broken? Is he trained?"  
  
Oh. See, this wasn't something either of them had anticipated. Minho looks over to Jisung, the dog lowering his head in worry. It takes a moment, but with a look of determination, Jisung pads over to Minho's side, nudging his hip with his snout.  
  
Jeongin is, to say the least, surprised to see what happens next. Clearly thinking the poor man was an idiot, Jisung begins to display all sorts of tricks. Lay down, sit, give paw, shake, roll over. Minho, in an attempt to gain a handle on the situation, grabs Jisung by the scruff.  
  
"Wow, how weird! It's like he understands Korean!" He laughs, awkwardly.  
  
Jeongin, however, is horrified. He's backed into the door, hand on the knob, looking ready to bolt. "What the fuck just happened, Minho?"

Minho takes a long, deep breath. Fuck. Shit. Well, this is it. Not even a full day and they've fucked this up already. Han Jisung expected to save their whole city and yet he was stupid enough to do something like this?

"I-- Okay, fine. I went in to work today. Someone brought this dog in and said it was a stray. There's nothing wrong with it so we can't keep it. Animal control would just put him down, Innie! He's huge! Nobody would adopt him! I already knew he knew those tricks. I worked with him a little bit before I got off. Before you even yell, I was only there for a few hours because they needed someone to call clients for follow ups!"

The younger lets out a huge sigh and visibly relaxes. "You really made up that stupid story about the cashier just because you didn't want me to fuss about work?"

"Yeah. This dog is cool, isn't he? He knows hand signals. I thought it'd be funny to scare you. I'm sorry, Innie." There's little shame in Minho's voice as he says this, though. He lets go of Jisung's scruff, finally. The dog just nudges his hand for more attention, staring up at him while slowly wagging his tail.  
  
"He's way over the weight limit, though. We'd get in trouble."  
  
"The neighbors won't care as long as he's a good boy. I'll work on finding him a new home but it may take some time. If something happens, I'll voluntarily move out. He'll be my responsibility."  
  
Jeongin nods, clearly still somewhat shaken. The poor man had just seen what he believed, rightfully though they weren't going to tell him that, that this dog was some kind of magical creature. He shrugs, seeming to just accept the situation. Such was the life of living with Minho, obviously.  
  
"It's fine. We can handle this. It'll be cool to have a dog. We'll have to work on his name, though. Jisung is a dumb name for a dog."  
  
Minho shrugs. "I like it. It fits him. He seems a bit human, doesn't he?" The joke doesn't pass over well, Jeongin rolling his eyes and huffing in response. The younger makes his way to his room, waving goodnight to his roommate.  
  
"Don't be too annoying, got it?"  
  
"Yes, sir! I love you, Innie!" Minho calls, blowing a loud kiss in his direction. Jeongin makes a lovely vomit noise in response, his bedroom door closing not doing much to stifle the noise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> irish wolfhounds are my favorite dog breed. jisung is one just bc they're my favorite. if we were being honest, jisung is more a beagle. look, i've thought a lot about this, okay?
> 
> find me on tumblr @seungshiny! or the twitter i never use @seungshiner!


	3. Chorus One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dog Jisung has a jejunum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: this involves some weird eyeballs that have no eyelashes and then Minho worries about his eyes, but they're totally fine. no eyeballs were harmed in the making of this chapter.

Minho dreams that night of things he can't really remember when he wakes up. In the light of the morning, blinds up and curtains pulled back, he loses all but fuzzy moments of his dreams. He feels the weight of the felon-turned-big-dog laying at the foot of his bed, twisted like a pretzel.

There's something about an angel or a demon. Plenty of wings covered in eyes, it kept asking him things. It's voice was only horrific screaming and static. He feels something catch in his chest, like a fear he's never known that almost touches him like deja vu.

At this, Jisung kicks a furry foot-or-paw-or-whatever to roll onto his stomach, staring at Minho. Without much flourish or even some cool blast of smoke, Jisung-as-a-human(ish) is suddenly staring at him. He yawns loudly and Minho sort of gapes at how big his mouth is.

"Did you open the blinds and the curtain last night?" he finally asks. It's about all he can ask in his groggy state.

"Good morning to you, too, Minho," Jisung responds. He shoves himself off the bed, stretching out as he looks out the window. "I didn't want us to sleep too late."

"I would very much have liked to sleep later." Minho shoves him with a foot, sending the blonde forward a couple of steps. He grunts in annoyance and pulls a pillow over his face. "Close them all," his muffled voice protests.

"No. You're awake now, what's the point of going back to sleep?"

Minho lets out another grunt of annoyance. "You really are like an annoying dog. Don't you know I prefer cats?"

"A shame," the reaper responds. He presses his hands on the windowsill, shoving himself up on his tiptoes to survey the area.

Despite himself, Minho can't help but feel a little strangely endeared. For a dead guy who moves souls from one plane to another, he sure did act childish.

"Minho? When did it start?"

The question takes Minho by surprise. He runs a hand through his hair, contemplating the question. There's probably a correct answer to whatever question Jisung was asking him. Hell if Minho was going to act like he knew what the question even really was, though.

The truth was actually worse: He did know what Jisung was asking and he didn't really feel like answering it at ass crack in the morning. He had barely opened his eyes five minutes ago. He was still trying to process what had happened last night. He was still trying to--

"Minho?"

It takes him by surprise that Jisung is directly in his face now, staring intently at him. His eyes are inquisitive, too dark to be human but too alive to be dead. He kind of smells nice, though. Minho had sort of expected him to smell like that weird lingering death that he could sometimes smell in the rooms at work. It wasn't rotten but it wasn't the way the rest of the--

"Hey, idiot."

In an unfortunate turn of events, Minho lets out a yelp as Jisung knocks their foreheads gently together. He pulls his knees back to his chest and kicks out, catching the blonde directly in the stomach. With a loud _Oof!_ , Jisung falls back onto the bed and grabs his stomach.

"That was rude!"

"You literally hit our heads together!" he screeches in response, holding his forehead.

"Humans are _weak_ ," Jisung snaps. He collects himself, sitting up in the bed. "Listen, Minho. We need to talk about some stuff--"

"Dude, I haven't even had a nice morning piss yet. You wake me up at ass crack of dawn--"

"It is literally ten in the morning!"

"Ass crack of dawn!" Minho snaps before continuing. "I haven't had breakfast, had my mornings coffees--"

"Coffees?!" It's Jisung's turn to shriek out at him.

"And I haven't even brushed my teeth yet! I haven't done anything and you expect me to sit here and tell you about the first time I realized I had the scent of death following me?! The scent of death that, mind you, is you?!"

Jisung takes a moment, blinking. He stares at Minho with a look that he can't really decipher. It looks dangerous, almost predatory. It's the look he saw a dog give his owner just before attacking them when it came out a seizure. Confusion, a true reaction of the flight or fight response. This person hurt me and now I'll hurt them.

It sends chills down his spine.

Except just as soon as it was there, it's gone. In its place sits that bright smile Jisung can give that almost seems to light up the room. It's gummy and gentle, making his eyes crinkle with laughter that has no sound. His nose even scrunches up.

Minho finds his ears turning an awkward shade of red at the tips.

"Listen, you _f_ _reak_ ," he hisses now in an attempt to turn the attention away from the endearment that may or may not be taking place in his chest. "I just want to enjoy my mornings. Can't we go for some kind of walk or something? Do you want breakfast? Wait, do you eat?"

Jisung lets out a laugh, patting Minho on the knee. "Of course I eat! I love to eat. Food is great. I have human anatomy in this form, you know. I can't die but I can wither away. My physiological state is--"

"Anyway, do you want eggs? I can make waffles. They're frozen, but whatever." Minho interrupts. He really doesn't want to hear Jisung going on about his weird body. Not that his body itself was weird, it was kind of nice, all soft lines and gangling limbs and soft looking skin and--

Oh dear lord. The crushing realization that this stupid ass grim reaper of animal souls who has been following him around for what he discovered was years is kind of hot hits Minho like a stone directly to the temple. It's probably the lowest Lee Minho has ever sunk as a person, but to be fair, he hadn't gotten any in any form in a really long time.

"Fine! Let's get breakfast. I do like waffles. Do you have syrup?" Jisung asks, bounding out of bed. He nearly trips over himself and rams face first into the door, but he catches himself just before he does. He rips the door open with a glorious yell, ready for breakfast and however many coffees Minho was going to drink that morning.

"You really are like a god damn dog," Minho mumbles into the now empty room.  
  
"So, tell me answer my question while you make me an omelet." The demand comes from around the spoon of peanut butter that Jisung has shoved into his mouth. He stares at Minho with big eyes, ready and willing to listen. "I get breakfast and a story this morning!"

"You're not like I expected you to be."

"What, because I'm not dark and angsty? I'm not Cha-- Never mind. Anyway! Listen, tell me your story!"

"I can't listen if I'm the one telling you the story," Minho quips. He cracks another egg gracefully with one hand, causing Jisung to ooh and clap at this.

"Don't be such a jerk! C'mon, just tell me."

"Why does it matter? You're around now. You should know, anyway."

Jisung watches as Minho moves the eggs around gently, scrambling them for himself. "I should. But, I don't, Minho. That's the thing. I don't know much about you other than what the animals tell me. It's not like I could show up and be your friend."

Minho turns to look at Jisung. He places the spatula he was using down on the side of the stove top with a frown. "You've showed up now, though."

"I told you that it's official business this time."

The dark haired man turns back to his eggs. He watches them cook quickly but just as fast as the hunger came on this morning, it's gone. "Official business," he scoffs, moving the food off of the pan.

"Yeah. We need your help."

"How come I can tell you everything about myself but you can't tell me shit about yourself?"

Jisung, finally, goes quiet. He watches the other carefully, frowning. "Minho, I don't mean to come off like that."

"Yeah, well you do, Jisung," he snaps back. He turns around to stare at the blonde, a grumpy frown on his soft features. "You show up and demand I help you because, what, you've been following me for years? I somehow owe you and everyone else something? To be the savior of the universe?"

"The savior of this area," Jisung corrects. He holds up his chopsticks with a flourish, pointing at Minho. "You're the only one we can trust. I know you've been having those dreams and always have. You've seen what's killing this area."

They stare at one another for a moment. The silence between them is tense and painful, like plucking out leg hair one by one.

"I'm sorry I suddenly showed up like this. I didn't know where else to go though."

Jisung's confession takes Minho by surprise. The blonde doesn't look up as he says it, muttering down into his plate. He stares intently at his food, pushing the leftover eggs around with his chopsticks.

"I'm in over my head, Minho. If I don't get your help, I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

There's some sort of moment shared between them. It's some kind of understanding, some sort of companionship developing. Minho feels his heart tug, Jisung looking up at him like a worried puppy. The need to help and take care of him almost overwhelms Minho.

They finish their food in silence. Minho doesn't know what else to say.

  
Days pass in relative normalcy. There's some sort of comfort in having Jisung around all the time, Minho finds. They don't bring up the discussion at breakfast again. Instead, the two of them get to know each other. It turns out that other than being a grim reaper, Jisung is a bit of an interesting person.

"I've always liked music. I really like this kind of stuff. Chan, this guy I work with, is really good at making beats. He says it's because before he died he was a music producer. He's only been dead for a few years. I think you'd like him," Jisung rambles. Minho watches with interest, nodding every now and then.

It takes a moment for it to click for him.

"Wait. Died?"

"Huh? Yeah. He only died recently so he's not very old in the after--"

"Does that mean you died, too?" Minho frowns at this. He turns to face Jisung fully now, feeling a weird sense of upset take over him.

Jisung hums, nodding. "Yeah. I died like years and years ago. It was like 20-something years ago?" He watches as Minho furrows his brow, his frown growing deeper. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No! It's just... You're dead."

"Yeah... Minho, did you not know?"

"I dunno. I guess I expected you to like, have been born a grim reaper. Or created? I don't know."

"No. You die, then you get picked for these kinds of things. Sometimes they need extra help. They especially do it if you're going to the middle grounds."

"The what?"

Jisung shrugs, "It's just a place! Now, listen. This is one of my favorite of his tracks!"

  
That night, Minho dreams again. There are wings with eyes that fall over him, take him in, stare at him. He stares at Jisung, his face twisted into a pale, ghastly thing. His skin lacks the brightness of his tanned skin. His eyes are hollow and lack the shine they usually hold.

Something whispers in his ear, soft and static, like a television turned low to a channel that flows in and out during a storm.

"Don't," it says.

"Trust," it whispers.

"Han."

"Han will kill you. Han will kill you. Han will kill you. Betrayal is imminent."

Minho feels his blood run cold almost literally. The eyes on the wings come closer and closer, until they're pressed up against him. He can feel them blink against all of his exposed skin. They have no eyelashes.

It all feels weird and too real and he wants to scream but he can't.

Suddenly, there's hands on him. There's someone pulling him out of the wings, away from the feathers. There's a soft murmur of words he can't understand. He stands next to Jisung, wrapped in his arms, looking as he always has with someone shorter who looks like static to him. Someone else stands behind them, saying something he can't hear but he can almost feel.

Minho wakes up to the large dog that is Han Jisung with its paws on his chest, nosing at his face and whining. His breath comes in shaky, desperate gasps, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

Jisung moves to place his head next to Minho. He sniffs his hair, nuzzling head again with a whine.

Minho realizes he must have been reacting to his nightmare in his sleep and Jisung was worried. He turns over to press his face into the rough fur, grabbing a handful as a way to comfort both of them.

"I'm fine," he mumbles, even though he doesn't really feel it. "I'm fine."

  
Minho wakes up the next morning to his phone ringing. Slapping his hand onto the floor next to his bed to look for it, he stares blearily at the name and time. 6:13am.

_Work Mom Taeyeon_

With a groan, he slides his finger to answer. "Hello?" He moves to adjust himself around Jisung, still in dog form, who whines at being woken up so early. Realizing he's on the phone, Jisung nudges Minho's arm and lays his head on his chest, obviously trying to listen as well.

"Son! My favorite son. My only good worker. My only loyal friend."

"Do you need me to come in today, Taeyeon?"

"Oh, why can't call I the only son I love so--"

"It is ass crack early. If you need me to come in, just say it."

"Yes, please."

"Fine. I'm bringing my dog, then. See you in a bit."

"Wait, your do--"

Minho hangs up without acknowledging the question. He groans and places his phone back on the ground, blinking into the darkness of his room. Luckily, Jisung hadn't decided to open the curtains in the middle of the night, seemingly a new part of his routine.

"All right, Jisung. Looks like you're coming to work with me."

Jisung, a human now, rolls onto Minho's arm to face him. He sighs, just as tired as the other. "You know you didn't have to say you were bringing me. I can just stay hidden from everyone."

Minho grunts in response. He pulls his arm away from under the other in an attempt to shove him away. It works, causing the blonde to roll onto his back. "Would have been helpful of you to mention this at any point before."

"How do you think I stayed hidden from everyone for so long? From you?"

"You did a shit job hiding from me," the human points out. He moves himself out of the bed, shuffling over to the blinds to pull them open. The light floods the room but causes him to hiss, much like a cat, to the onslaught of brightness.

He watches the park across the street for a moment. As he turns to face Jisung again, he feels it-- a pull of sorts. Soft, downy feathers cover his eyes, then snake over his shoulders. He can feel himself be pulled down, sinking through what should be the window.

Minho feels the pinprick of needles against his cheeks first. They stick into his skin, not coming out, and he can't make himself move. He tries to let out a scream, a yell, any noise, but nothing comes out.

The pinprick hits under his eyes and it's with the sudden realization of horror that he realizes that it's the thing from his dream again. They were coming for his eyes.

"You refused to heed our warning about the reaper Han. Do not worry, Minho. We will make you see. We will give you the sight. You will see the evil that he is. He is trying to kill us, Minho. We are the only ones you can trust, Minho."

"Didn't anyone teach you to keep your hands to yourself?"

Minho feels cool hands press against his cheeks. They graze over his skin gently before moving to behind his head, pulling him gently from the downy feathers encasing him. He can feel the pinpricks moving as the hands move over his face.

As he feels himself be pulled flush against someone's chest, he heaves out a choked sob. He gasps for breath, pressing his face into the neck of the person. He lets out another sob as he realizes it's Jisung.

Jisung. Always watching, always protecting him.

"You can't teach something that doesn't have hands to keep their hands to themselves. Idiot," a voice snaps next to him, familiar in its tone. He feels someone press into his right side, arm pressing against him. From the height and how he recognizes it, he assumes it's the same short man made of static from last time.

"Get this crybaby back, Jisung. I'll take care of this."

Jisung hums in response. He presses Minho's head back down as he tries to move to look at who is next to them.

"Oh, Minho. You're not really ready yet to know the truth. We'll tell you later, okay? I promise."

Without time to reply, Minho feels himself being pulled again. He feels himself sinking into something viscous. He clings tighter to Jisung, holding his breath.

The grim reaper laughs in response.

It takes only a second longer before the two of them collapse into Minho's bed. In a startling act of comfort, Minho shoves his face into the fur of dog Jisung, fingers curling into the fur of the canine's neck. It's the same as all those nights ago when he had that nightmare.

The night that Jisung had saved him.

"Jisung, what the fuck is happening? What is happening to me? Is that what's trying to kill the area?" The silence in the air between them almost hurts Minho. He pulls his face away from the fur to stare at him.

"Jisung? Jisung! Hey, Sungie?"

Panic spreads over Minho's body in a cold, numb wave. He shoves his hands onto Jisung's muzzle, realizing he's mostly unresponsive. He pulls his lips up gently, pressing a finger into his gums. *Pale and tacky. Shit.*

"Sungie! Sungie, please, I don't know how to treat a dog that-- Oh, fuck! Your stupid rock! Your dumb rock. Jisung, Jisung, please. Just wake--"

Realization, as has many times before, hits Minho in the head like a brick. "Crybaby! The guy. The voice! It was familiar. It was-- Oh my god! That asshole!"

Minho throws himself dramatically to the edge of his bed, grabbing his phone and swiping it unlocked. With the panic only granted to an idiot on a mission wondering how they missed all the signs, he dials a phone number he's known by heart for many years.

"Crybaby my ass! He better come fix this before I cryba-- Changbin!" he screams. "Changbin, get over here, something is wrong with Jisung!"


	4. Verse Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung doesn't speak and it sucks.

It takes Changbin about half an hour to get to Minho's house. He doesn't bother knocking on the door when he finally arrives. He doesn't bother announcing that Taeyeon is standing in front of the door, looking panicked, either.

"Changbin, I swear to god if that's not-- Oh, fuck. Tae." Minho looks startled as he scrambles into the living room from his room. He stares at Taeyeon for a moment, then at Changbin, who just shrugs.

"You could at least have the decency to look ashamed, Minho," Taeyeon snaps. She points an accusatory finger at the younger man. "You could have told me you couldn't come in."

A look of pure panic takes over Minho's features. He swipes out with his hands, grabbing the woman by the shoulders. "Listen, Tae, I'm sorry! It's just that something has come up. Not only that but I also need you to leave immediately." Taeyeon steps aside as Minho tries to scoot her out backwards towards the door. "Taeyeon, I'm serious!"

She shoves past Minho, not sparing Changbin a second glance as she storms past him as well. "No, you have your stethoscope around your neck and your stupid pack on your hip. Something is up. Do you have an illegal animal in here?"

Changbin snorts as he watches her disappear around the corner. "Is that your boss? I've never met her."

Minho groans in annoyance and runs a hand over his face. "That _cannot_  be what you're fucking questioning right now. Are you really not going to ask how I kn--"

"Holy-shit-Lee-Minho! I-Is that a fucking _wolf_?!"

"Never mind. We'll discuss this later. For now, you have to fix Jisung."

Taeyeon lets out another screech. Both men jump slightly, staring at one another in confusion. Another wave of utterly desperate and absolutely consuming panic runs through Minho's veins. He grabs Changbin by the shoulders, dragging him along.

"You _have_  to fix him, Changbin."

"Got attached?" the shorter quips. He saunters into the room, having freed himself of Minho's grasp in the few steps it takes to get from the living room to the bedroom. "You shouldn't get attached." He _t_ _sks_  softly. "You told me to not get attached as a kid with strays, didn't you?"

Taeyeon looks up at the two, frowning. "Questions later, I guess. Minho, we need to get him to the hospital. Why is he even in your house? You should be smarter than this! You know better!"

Minho looks down at the ground, shuffling his feet gently. "I didn't... Yeonnie, it's a lot more complicated than you think," he offers weakly. Taeyeon simply huffs in response, moving bangs out of her face.

"His blood pressure is low but there's no obvious wounds. His pulse isn't synced to his heart. Minho, this-- this isn't good!"

Changbin watches the two with mild amusement. "He's not gonna die. He can't. He's just gotta heal." The tone he says it with is the sort of tone you take with a child who believes their stuffed animal has perished from a small tear. He arches his eyebrows at Minho when the man slumps down onto the bed next to Jisung's head.

"I know he can't die but..."

"What. Is. Happening?!" Taeyeon, fed up, stands, throwing her hands up. "You!" She points with her finger at Minho with the presence that only someone who has intravenously given animals life saving medication can have. "You are an idiot! Animals! Die! You watched Momo die! You've watched animals die, Lee Minho! You've really snapped!"

Minho pauses his petting of Jisung's head with a great sigh. He looks up at Taeyeon and shakes his head. "Tae, I told you that you had to go. This isn't what you think it is. He-- Jisung can't die because he's already dead. He's the person who takes animal's souls from our world to... Well, whatever world he's from."

"First off, hello? So I am," Changbin starts with an offended mumble. Minho just shrugs in response, staring down at the dog again with a soft look. "Second off, it's not a separate world, it's a different plane of existence that's attached to this one. Third off, Taeyeon, I'm really sorry you got caught up in this."

Taeyeon simply stares at the two, shaking her head. "You've both snapped. Both of you are absolutely nuts. I don't-- What the hell are you talking about? There's no--"

Her voice breaks off as she jumps slightly as if shocked with static electricity. Her eyes widen, pupils shrinking much like that of a cat ready to find it's prey. "You! You're telling the truth and what did you just do to me!?" Minho jerks his head up, standing between Changbin and Taeyeon defensively.

"Nothing much. I just gave you a little bit of knowledge. It's so you can go away so we can fix Jisung."

The woman looks between Minho, Jisung-- which is a terrible name for a dog, by the way--, and Changbin. It takes her a moment before she finally sighs. "Fine. I'm gonna leave. Minho, I swear to god... Or whatever is there, I guess," she says with a look at Changbin. He shrugs, giving her a cloying look in response. "Fine. Keep the mysteries of the universe from me. Minho, take care of whatever the hell this is. Just call me if you need more time, okay?"

The man in question nods, not looking up from Jisung. The dog's chest is still barely rising, but it seems a little better. Maybe. Hopefully.

Once the front door closes, Changbin lets out a sigh. "You really work for that?"

"Taeyeon is really nice. She's always been understanding. She's a pro at what she does. She's a great leader."

Changbin sucks his teeth in amusement. "A kid leader, maybe, with that attitude."

"Changbin? Is what you said true? Is Jisung going to be all right?"

"Well, yeah. It takes a lot more to kill a reaper than--"

Before he can finish, Minho lets out a sob. He moves so that Jisung's head is in his lap and he leans over to his body, gripping gently at the fur on his torso. Changbin watches with a soft smile.

"We always knew he picked right when he picked you, Minho. I knew it when I first met you, too. You're kind."

Minho doesn't look up, letting himself cry into Jisung's fur. "He has to be okay, Changbin. He- he said we have to protect this place. He still hasn't told me why he was here. He still-- he never talked about it, Binnie. He didn't say who you were. You never let me know."

The stress of being a world savior, or at least a town savior, was beginning to feel overwhelming. Throughout his life, the eyes on the wings had haunted him. They had shown up in his nightmares, in his normal dreams, everywhere. They felt like a prophecy, an omen, some kind of sign.

Minho never imagined that it would be the omen of the death of someone he had come to care for so quickly. That happens when you're constantly around someone, though, isn't it? Someone who has saved you not once, but twice. Someone who has been around you constantly, even if it was in a way as creepy as being a grim reaper stalking him all his life.

That sort of really, really messed up thing sort of bonds you to someone.

"He can't die because of me, Changbin," Minho finally chokes out. He turns his head to look at Changbin blearily. The smaller man offers a look of pity and fondness, something he'd seen before when he had bad days at work and had talked to him. "I don't understand anything, Binnie, but I know he can't die because of _me_."

"He won't die. He just used a lot of energy to transport you back from where you two were. He used a lot of energy to call me up, too. He's just exhausted. Unfortunately, exhaustion for us means that we sort of... Die." Minho lets out another choked breath, holding onto Jisung tighter at this. "He won't really die. He'll come right back into this body. It's sort of like hibernation. He's used too much energy and he needs to sleep it off. Since this body is just a host on this plane, he has to return to ours. His body rests and so does he."

The bed dips next to Minho, Changbin placing a hand on Jisung's head as well. "I'm sorry I never told you, Minnie. It was hard. I got assigned to watch you, too. Jisung asked for it. He thought we'd get along well. We do. I was never your guardian, though. All I had to do was make sure you were kept on the right path."

Minho sniffles, sitting up finally. "The right path?"

"Jisung and I both knew that you were going to be who we asked. We knew for a long, long time. A time longer than you'd ever been alive. We knew that this town, this epicenter of soul movement, was going to need saving. I was tasked to make sure you wouldn't be... evil, I guess."

Changbin smiles and places an arm around the other's shoulders as he leans into him. "I'm glad you never let me go evil, Binnie. That would have sucked. How long do we have to wait for Jisung? What are those things that tried to kill me? Why did Jisung finally show himself to me? Binnie, he never really answered my questions. He only ever talked about that crystal."

"The crystal is how we protect these places. Each area, usually marked by a town or city border, has it's own stone. That stone is given to the person in charge of that area. The idea that there's only one grim reaper is stupid, don't you think? After all, how can we do so much?"

Minho hums in acknowledgement, closing his eyes.

"Jisung had to wait. It was his orders. I don't know how long it'll take him to wake up. Usually it's only a few days to a week for him. He's older, so he's strong. He's just a strong guy to begin with."

"And those things?"

Changbin adjusts himself, pulling Minho into a different, more comfortable position. His arm rests around his waist, lulling Minho into the comfort only an old friend can bring. "That's what we're fighting against. It's a monster, I guess. They seek knowledge. Knowledge is only ever gained by understanding, so they try to eat souls. Before you ask, I don't know why they look like that."

"Why do they think Jisung is gonna betray me?" Minho's voice is small when he asks this. He stares down at Jisung's face, feeling a sadness in the pit of his stomach begin to bloom. He missed the blonde haired man and his gummy smile. He missed that obnoxiously loud voice, the incessant annoyance and endearment he felt for him.

"Kind of sucks but I think I have the hots for a grim reaper," Minho mumbles.

Changbin chokes on a snort of laughter, slamming his head back into the wall as he does.

 

Two days later, Minho lays in bed next to Jisung. He's readjusted him, with much difficultly, so that his head is resting on a pillow next to his own. The dog's breathing has become completely normal. It really looks like he's just sleeping now.

Pressing his fingers into Jisung's rough fur, he pets his neck softly. "I hope you wake up soon. It's scary to think those things will come back for me and you won't be there. Not to mention that it's kind of boring without you. I miss you, Sungie."

Jisung's ear twitches again. Minho snorts at this. "Really?" he whispers. "I hope you didn't hear that, you jerk. Changbin said you have to rest. Stop trying to eavesdrop. I'm having a conversation with my dog. Always so rude, Sungie. Go away for now."

The ear twitches again. Minho buries his face into the dog's fur again, breathing deep. What would happen if those things came back? He'd been managing to keep himself awake and occupied. Not sleeping was easy when you were used to it. He would go for a short walk, listen to lectures and take notes, play video games. He was growing bored, though, used to the constant companionship he'd had for the past two weeks.

It was weird to have free time, especially when his free time was spent being worried about having his eyeballs stabbed out by some weird, winged monster.

It takes three more days for the winged monsters to reappear in his dreams. Minho feels the familiar, terrifying pull. He recognizes it now as the pull of the monsters from his reality to theirs. It left him sick to his stomach.

"Han is not here for you today, Lee Minho. Today we will show you his betrayal."

Desperate to speak, Minho tries opening his mouth. When he does, the wings let out a horrific screech.

"You will stay silent in our presence, human! You will listen to us! You will see! We will give you the sight! Han Jisung and Seo Changbin are not here to take you away! We will complete our mission!"

Just like that, Minho feels it again. The pricks from his chin to his cheeks, from his forehead to his eyebrows. He tries to scream but can't find his voice. Then he feels it, the downy soft feathers brushing his face.

To be fair, the pin pricks don't hurt as much as he thought they would when they sink into his eyes.

Or maybe it's because nothing hurts as much as what he sees when the pricks finally stop.

Minho, in the all too familiar park across from his house, lays in a hunched over position. Jisung sits on his knees in front of him. At least it looks like Jisung, with the blonde hair and the outfit, but his face is blurred. Minho realizes even his own face is blurred.

Blood runs down his back, a large bite wound present. Jisung has one hand on his shoulder. He leans forward and the other touches Minho's stomach.

Minho, the real Minho, tries to scream again. He watches as Jisung sticks his hand on his stomach, pulls out a turbid white, glowing crystal. He tries to scream but he can't make any noises. Even as the scene fades, the wings disappear, the eyes leaving a soft glow behind.

Minho opens his eyes and gasps out a breath. He turns to look at Jisung, placing a hand gently in the rough fur again. He pulls himself closer, maneuvering himself so that he's actually holding the dog now.

"I'm not gonna believe them, Jisung. It could be anything. It could be a lie. They just want to hurt this place. You wouldn't lie to me. You wouldn't," he mumbles into the fur.

Jisung moves ever so slightly to place himself more comfortably with the human. Minho knows he's heard him. He's sure he knows what he means. He's sure that Jisung knows that in the end, he trusts both him and Changbin.

It doesn't stop the sinking feeling he has in chest and the fear that bubbles in his throat, though.

**Author's Note:**

> ♡find me on [twitter @ seungshiner](https://twitter.com/seungshiner) and [tumblr @ seungshiny](https://seungshiny.tumblr.com)♡
> 
> i need everyone to know that i actually do wear a fanny pack at work and it's hot pink and i absolutely love it. it's technically a nurse pack but whatever it's a glorified fanny pack. fanny packs are the best fashion invention ever, thanks for coming to my ted talk.


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